Mobile communication devices may have a number of radio access technologies which allow the device to connect to different types of networks and other devices such as, for example, Global Systems for Mobile communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth™, and WiMax™.
Wi-Fi is a brand of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) based on IEEE 802.11 standards that may be used in homes and offices, and retail shops such as coffee shops.
Bluetooth™ is a short range radio technology that may be used to connect or pair with other Bluetooth™-enabled devices such as may be found, for example, in a device user's car audio system to allow for hands-free use of the phone capabilities of the mobile communication device. Other short range radio technologies include Wi-Fi, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications-Ultra Low Energy (DECT ULE), and infrared.
A constraint on modern mobile communication devices, such as smartphones, is that they have a finite battery life. If radios are kept enabled in order to detect available connections, such as to a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth-enabled device, the mobile communication device may consume power faster than if one or more of these radios were disabled.
Some mobile communication device users may manually switch radios on only when they are going to use them, for example, enabling the Bluetooth™ radio after they turn on their car to pair to the Bluetooth™ hands-free car kit. However, users may switch between their mobile network to a Wi-Fi network multiple times in a day. It may be inconvenient and time consuming to manually enable and disable Wi-Fi connections whenever they were or were not needed. Furthermore, some users, if they forget to enable their Bluetooth™ radio before starting their drive, may attempt to do so while driving in order to answer or make a phone call. This is undesirable as directly using the mobile communication device while driving may be dangerous to the user, other drivers and pedestrians. In some places, directly using a mobile communication device while driving is illegal. As a result, many mobile communication device users may simply leave these radios enabled all the time, wasting battery life.
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